NETHERLANDS/ISRAEL/WEOG: WEOG ALTERNATIVE FORUM

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 003045 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2014 TAGS: PREL AORC IS NL UNGA SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/ISRAEL/WEOG: WEOG ALTERNATIVE FORUM OPTION IN SOME FORA REF: A. THE HAGUE 2990 (NOTAL) ¶B. STATE 235219 Classified By: Political Counselor Andrew Schofer for reasons 1.4 (b) a nd (d). ¶1. (C) During a November 19 follow-up conversation to ref A, Karel van Kesteren (MFA, UN Department) suggested to Poloff that the EU is considering the option of holding "WEOG" meetings by another name in places like the ILO or WIPO in order to facilitate inclusion of Israel. He noted that the EU considers the name "WEOG" to refer first and foremost to the New York-based UN election grouping. In other contexts (he cited the ILO),he observed that the same countries that are in the New York WEOG already meet in an expanded format with "like-minded" countries to discuss substantive issues. Such a format, he imagined, could include Israeli participation without calling into question the basic structure of WEOG in New York and without using the New York decision on Israeli participation as a global precedent, an outcome it seems the EU still wants to avoid. ¶2. (SBU) Poloff encouraged van Kesteren to continue seeking flexible EU thinking on this question. which will be on the next CONUN agenda in Brussels in December. SOBEL